Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-04-22
WHERE THE HOMELESS SLEEP.
A Half Hour Among the Migrants in q
New York Police Station.

The room about thirty feet square. In
the centrl Of it stood a stove glowing
with fervent heat. Upon the floor, packed
together like clothespins in box, lay
sixty men, and one poor wayward crea-
ture of the weaker sex. Most of the in
mates were stretched upon boards about
foot wide and seven feet long, one end
of which lay on the stone floor. with the
other end raised about ten inches. Some
slept with their clothes on; others used
their coats for pillows, and there were
those still who had removed parts Of their
clothing, and were making abortive
efforts to conform to civilized usage with
the help of checked jumpers and thread
bare handkerchiefs. At intervals rose
legs like inverted letter VS., resembling
pack ice in an arctic sea.
The visitor picked his way gingerly
through the prostrate figures to the stove
and surveyed the scene, and as he gazed
he wished that the Queen of Sheba might
pass that way with frankinccnse and
mvrrh. Tho snoring was unique and
varied, and ranged from the bass tones
of bassoon to the shrill nasal quality of
n clarionet. There was no ventilation;
even the paper caulzing had been re-
placed after the shutting of the door, and
the heavy air reeked with heat and
noisome eXhalations, and made the fog
and chill of the street seem Eden like by
comparison.
a number of late comers, who were
unable to obtain room enough in which
to lie down, had propped themselves
against the wall and were consolcd in
their discontinue by watching each new
conner as he looked around and realized
that if he slept at all he would have to
sleep standing.
One man had become weary with
standing. Seeing vacant six inches of
board near him he made an effort to sit,
but was restrained by the squatter on
that territory, who arose from his recum-
bent position and shook his grimy fist
threateningly.
''If you sit down there I'll crack your
skull!'
''Lie down, my friend and adjust
your bedclothing; you may catch cold"
said the aggressor, soothingly.
An audible snicker ran around the
room, which was quickly repressed when
the squatter raised himself ON his elbow
and looked around, trying to detect the
ones who had the temerity to laugh in
that chamber Of horrors.
His discovery of the culprits meant ex-
pulsion, and they knew it. He it was
who, by virtue Of the fact that he at
tended to the fire and swept out the place
In the morning, was invested with a sort
of unofficial authority, which he exer-
cised with the absoluteness of a car.
When he called out: Turn down that
lght!' (an incautious youth had turned
up the gas so that he could read news
paper the glim was turned so low that
1T resembled a taper on some sacrificial
altar. Having also called the attention
of several vagrants to the fact that they
were talking too loudly, hush such as
falls upon court room when the Judge
sentences a murderer fell upon the
place.
For the most part the inmates of the
room were professional FOUNDERS. who
never work and who subsist on the
charity of others. But there were excp-
tons to this rule, who were the victims
of unfortunate circumstances. One Door
fellow, who did the caulking under the
door, said that he had never spent a
night in such place before, and that he
had prosperous relations in this city, but
pride prevented his asking their assist
ance. He was kind enough to volunteer
little advice.
IF ye hav' five cints in yer pocket"
said he, ''ye can go around to wan o.
thin saloons on tn Bowery as kapes open
all night. If ye hav' tn price O. glass
o beer We can sit in a chair all night, an
We won't be kicked out at 4 o'clock in the
mornin', as ye viii be if We stay here"
Seeing that his listeners did not intend
taking his advice he turned the converse
ton into other channels.
"D'ye see tn gray haired ould man
lynn on that board? Well, in that check
jumper he's usin' for a pillow he has
grub as II last him three days. I'll war
rant he didn't co tap o. work this
wel'month, but he II go around an beg
all day, an sleep in tn park in the sum-
mer and in tn station houses in tn
winter. He wouldn't be let sleep in one
station house all th' time, bekase tn po-
lice gets acquainted with him, an thin
he'd be pulled up aforc tn Justice and
s:at t tn island. So he works tn station
houses till he goes tn rounds. >
Here the story teller looked around the
room YEARLY, as though realizing the
fact that the supply of beds was not
equal to the demand, and resumed;
Its mighty airly in tn cvenin' We II be
comm here if ye wants t. get q place t.
lie down. Shurc most o. tn chaps here
gets in afore dark. They hav' their
boards picked out, an they kapes 'esn by
sticLin' to 'em. They're sly as foxes.
The recital was interrupted by the
opening of the door and the appearances
of man with wooden leg. His coat